Automatic bailers



Dec. 30, 1958 ATTORNEY Unite States atet AUTOMATIC BAILERS Leslie Conover, Somers Point, N. J.

Application April 22, 1957, Serial No. 654,369

2 Claims. (Cl. 114185) My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in automatic bailers, especially for small boats, but I believe that with the principle involved the bailer would also function on boats of larger size.

The bailer employs the old well-known principle of entraining, but I have found after a number of experiments that I can increase the rate of bailing by forming the bailer as about to be described.

I have perfected a bailer where the same will start bailing when the boat is travelling at about six miles an hour and will bail two gallons per minute after the boat reaches a speed of from six to fifteen miles an hour. After the boat reaches a speed of fifteen to twenty miles per hour, it is possible to bail four gallons a minute; and if the boat is capable of running between twenty and thirty miles per hour, it is possible to bail seven gallons per minute, thus saving the hard work of pumping out the boat with a pump, by hand.

An object of the invention is to provide an automatic bailer that consists primarily of just five parts: an elbow, an inlet tube, a second elbow, an outlet tube, and an entrainin g tube.

Another object of the invention is to provide an automatic bailer that may be quickly installed in the stern of a boat, wherein the outlet tube passes through the transom above the water line and the inlet elbow will extend beneath the bottom of the boat, so that as the water rushes through the bailer it will cause a vacuum in the entraining tube, which in turn extends down into the bilge to quickly bail out the water that may be in the bilge.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain new and novel features and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

Referring now to the drawings, showing a preferred embodiment,

Fig. l is a vertical, sectional view of the stern portion of a boat, showing my improved bailer applied thereto,

Fig. 2 is a somewhat similar view on a larger scale and showing the bailer in section,

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on a further enlarged scale on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5 is a section through the water intake on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Referring now specifically to Fig. 1, there is shown a fragmentary section of a boat with the bottom 1 and the transom 2. Located in close proximity to the transom 2 is my automatic bailer 3. Secured in the bottom 1 of the boat is the elbow 4 which is internally threaded as at 5 and in which is threaded what I term the vertically extending inlet pipe 6 which is locked in position with the nuts 7. The upper end of the inlet tube 6 is externally threaded as at 8 and is internally threaded within a second elbow 9. Fitted within this elbow 9 is what I term the outlet tube 10, which is in turn securely locked as at 11 through the transom 2.

As also may be seen in Figs. 1 and 2 there is what I term the entraining tube 12, which has its lower end 13 externally threaded as at 14 and a screw cap 15 on the bottom thereof, which has the openings 16 in its side, as may also be seen in Fig. 2.

The entraining tube 12 must extend vertically above the water line 17 (see Fig. 1) so that if it rains and the boat partly fills with water, the water cannot run into the said outlet tube and up through the entraining tube and back into the bilge.

The entraining tube 12 is bent back on itself as at 18 and extends downwardly as at 19 and is soldered or otherwise fastened within the outlet tube 10.

As may be seen in Figs. 2 and 3 the end 20 of the entraining tube 12 has its forward portion cut away so that a part of the end 20 of the entraining tube 12 projects well within the outlet tube 10 to cause the water that comes in through the elbow 4 to be forced around this forward portion of the entraining tube 12 and presumably creates a further vacuum in the entraining tube 12.

Referring again for the moment to the elbow 4 it will be seen that its end 21 is approximately flush with the under-surface of the bottom 1 of the boat, but the elbow 4 is provided with slots 22 through which the water may pass, but will prevent foreign substances, such as sea lettuce (or, as it is technically known Ulva latissima) from passing into the elbow 4 and up through the inlet tube 6 and outlet tube 10.

Referring now for the moment to Figs. 3 and 4, and especially to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the outlet tube 10 is restricted as at 23 for the reason that it is thought that by having this restricted portion adjacent the inner end of the entraining tube it may tend to increase the velocity of the water through the outlet tube 10, although this thought is not in agreement with the basic principles of the Venturi tube.

As may be seen in Fig. 3, the water coming in through the elbow 4 has to pass around the one end of the entraining tube 12 and then has to be forced throught the re stricted portion 23 of the outlet pipe 10, which restriction may cause the bailer to be more efficient than if the restriction were not present,

In the drawing I have shown the self-bailer or auto= matic bailer as applied to a small boat, but I believe it could be used with much larger boats, the bailer being made in proportion to the size of the boat. a

To instal the bailer it is only necessary to drill a hole in the bottom 1 of the boat and the transom 2, making sure that the cap 15 is in place, then locking the bailer in place with the several nuts and washers and adjusting the cap 15 so that it contacts with the bottom 1 of the boat to here again prevent any sea lettuce or foreign matter from stopping up the entraining tube 12.

The cap 15 may easily be adjusted so that it can con tact with the bottom 1 of the boat, and the various parts being externally threaded can easily be fitted to a small boat.

I am aware that the principle of entraining is an old one, but I believe that by placing the entraining tube well within the outlet tube and having the outlet tube above the water line of the boat in which it is situated, there will be no possibility of water entering in through the end of the outlet tube and being entrained or syphoned back into the boat.

Finally, it is to be remembered that the entraining tube must extend at quite a height from the bottom of the boat, so that there is no possiblity of water filling the entraining tube and flowing into the bottom of the boat.

The self-bailer needs no attention, is entirely'automatic, and will save pumping out water from the bilge, especially 2.866.431 Patented Dec. 30, 1958.

if there has been a hard rain and the boat has been out in the open.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is newand desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with aboaLhaving a transom together with a self-bailing means, said self-bailing means comprising an elbow having slots in its forward face and adapted to extend beneath the bottom ofthe boat; an inlet tube registering with the elbow; a second elbow at the top of the inlet tube and a Venturi outlet tube registering therewith and adapted to pass through the transom of the boat and above the water line; an entraining tube extending in a higher pl ne than that of the outlet tube, its forward ,end extending within the outlet tube, and the lower end of the entraining tubeextending to the bottom of the boatto thereby entrain any water from the bilge when the boat is in motion.

2. In combination with a boat having a transom together with a self-bailing means, said self-bailing means comprising an elbow having slotsin its forward face and adapted to extend beneath the bottom of the boat; an inlet tube registering with the elbow; a second elbow at the top of the inlet tube and a Venturi outlet tube registering therewith and adapted to pass through the transom of the boat and above the water line; an entraining tube extending in a higher plane than that of the outlet tube, the forward end of the entraining tube having its rear face cut away and extending well down within the outlet tube, and the lower end of the entraining tube extend ing to the bottom of the boat to thereby entrain any water from the bilge when the boat is in motion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,138,368 Briant Nov. 29, 1938 2,281,459 Scott-Paine Apr. 28, 1942 2,565,885 Reitz Aug. 28, 1951 2,608,160 Moody Aug. 26, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 87,318 Sweden Sept. 8, 1936 OTHER REFERENCES Fluid Meters, Their Theory and Application, part I, Report of A. S. M. E. Special Research Committee on Fuid Meters, page 21. 

